Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
UMBC
Bucknell Women's Swimming and Diving Posts 12 First-Place Finishes in Non-Scored Meet vs. UMBC
10/4/2009 8:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
Oct. 4, 2009
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell women's swimming and diving team opened its 2009-10 campaign Sunday at Kinney Natatorium in a non-scored meet against UMBC. The Bison picked up nine wins in individual swimming events, swept the diving competition and placed first in the 400-yard medley relay.
Junior Macey Keath and freshman Morgan Oxley dominated the breaststroke events as Keath took home two first-place finishes and a second, while Oxley, competing in her first collegiate meet, won the 50 breast and took second in the 100 to Keath and third in the 200. Keath is already the school record-holder in both the 100 and 200 breast.
Lauren Russell and Molly Goebel joined Keath with multiple wins in the meet. Russell, who owns the fastest time in program history in the 200 individual medley, won that event in 2 minutes, 10.42 seconds. She also won the 100 IM in 1:00.88, nearly two seconds faster than her time in this same meet last year. Russell also placed second in the 400 IM (4:36.35) and was part of the first-place 400 medley relay squad that beat UMBC by nearly two seconds.
Goebel was strong in the sprint-freestyle events, winning the 50 free and 100 free. Her time of 23.89 in the 50 free was more than a second ahead of runner-up Ashley Miller from UMBC. She followed that with a time of 53.09 in the 100, .84 ahead of second-place Miller. Goebel also placed second in the 200 free (1:57.75), one spot ahead of senior Megan Mongan (1:58.28).
Keath, Goebel and Mongan teamed with Russell on the gold-medal winning 400 medley relay.
Oxley was not the only Bison rookie to have a solid day in the pool in her first meet as Anna Griest won the 1,000 free and took second in the 500 free, while Marisa Taddeo posted a top-three finish in the 200 back.
Senior Abigail Atkinson also had a strong day Sunday, posting three top-three finishes in backstroke events. She was first in the 200, second in the 100 and third in the 50.
Bucknell dominated both diving events, taking six of the top seven spots off both boards. Rebecca Bersani posted a winning score of 204.67 off the one-meter board, while Allison FitzPatrick led a 1-2-3 Bison sweep off the three-meter. FitzPatrick's score of 217.28 led runner-up Bersani (203.55) and third-place Eliza Massie (193.50).
Bucknell will be idle for nearly three weeks as it returns to the pool Oct. 24 against George Mason. It is the first of three home meets to start the season for the Bison.
